The practice of Zen is forgetting the self in the act of uniting with something.

Long is the night to him who is awake; long is a mile to him who is tired; long is life to the foolish who do not know the true law.

Mindfulness is being aware of what's going on, not trying to control what's going on.

Real happiness comes from having an unshakable connection to the deep wellspring of peace and happiness that is not dependent on external conditions.

The more we witness our emotional reactions and understand how they work, the easier it is to refrain.

Awareness is always with us. We don't need to create it or achieve it - we just need to recognize what's already there.

Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.

In a mind clear as still water, even the waves, breaking, are reflecting its light.

The practitioner and practice are like fire and wood. The more you practice, the more you burn.

The greatest obstacle to meditation is our expectation about what it should be.

The development of insight is gradual, but the realization of truth is sudden.

Sleep is the best meditation.

When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways - either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength.

Mindfulness means keeping one's consciousness alive to the present reality.

Through violence, you may solve one problem, but you sow the seeds for another.

When things fall apart and we're on the verge of we know not what, the test of each of us is to stay on that brink and not concretize.

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.

The true mark of a spiritual practitioner is that your own behavior is better, not that you can criticize others well.

The purpose of meditation is not to create a mental vacuum but to come to know one's own mind.

Meditation in the midst of activity is a thousand times superior to meditation in stillness.

Anxiety and excitement are the same emotion. The only difference is our attitude toward the experience.

The essence of all phenomena is empty and clear like space. The nature of mind is awareness-emptiness like the sun and sky.

Peace is not found by changing the world, but by changing your attitude to the world.

The eye with which I see Buddha is the same eye with which Buddha sees me.

Life is glorious, but life is also wretched. It is both. Appreciating the gloriousness inspires us, encourages us, cheers us up, gives us a bigger perspective, energizes us. We feel connected. But if that's all that's happening, we get arrogant and start to look down on others, and there is a sense of making ourselves a big deal and being really serious about it, wanting it to be like that forever. The gloriousness becomes tinged by craving and addiction. On the other hand, wretchedness--life's painful aspect--softens us up considerably. Knowing pain is a very important ingredient of being there for another person.

The more you suffer the deeper grows your character, and with the deepening of your character you read the more penetratingly into the secrets of life.

The practice of mindfulness begins in the small, remote cave of your unconscious mind and blossoms with the sunlight of your conscious life.

Since all things are empty of inherent existence, anything is possible. If things had inherent existence, nothing would be possible.

Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past.

True happiness comes from a sense of inner peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through cultivation of altruism, of love, of compassion.

Every moment is a fresh beginning. Every breath is a new chance.

Instead of having a deep understanding of the teaching, we need a strong confidence in our teaching, which says that originally we have Buddha nature.

Whatever is dependently co-arisen, that is explained to be emptiness. That, being a dependent designation, is itself the middle way.